We Meet Again, Legionnaire
by reikat
Summary: Eriah finds herself near Solitude after being abducted from Breezehome by Astrid of the Dark Brotherhood and killing her. The Dragonborn then crosses paths with Hadvar, the Nord Legionnaire she met previously in Helgen the day Alduin returned. Together, they decide to put an end to the Dark Brotherhood. Two-shot
1. Chapter 1

Eriah stumbled through the swamp near Solitude. Her Elvish warhammer was hanging limply in her hand. Blood was running down her lacerated arm and the warhammer's head was also covered in it. She was dressed only in the outfit she wore under her Blades armor. The Dragonborn was heaving from her injuries. Aside from the lacerated arm, she also had cuts and bruises elsewhere on her body and her sword arm was dislocated. Her mind was trying to process how she had ended up like this. Sometime after joining the Stormcloaks, Eriah was in Windhelm when she heard rumors that a boy named Aventus Aretino was trying to call the Dark Brotherhood, an organization of assassins for hire. Eriah decided to investigate and stumbled upon the boy in his home while he performed the Black Sacrament. Aventus believed she was with the Brotherhood and didn't pay any attention when she said she wasn't with them. He spoke of how his mother died and how he was shipped off to Riften where Honorhall Orphanage was located. It turned out the headmistress of the orphanage, Grelod the Kind, was an evil witch who stomped on her charges' dreams of adoption. Eriah, being the compassionate soul she was, knew this couldn't go on. She wrestled with taking Grelod's life but she ended up slaying her in her sleep. It was only through fervent prayers before the statue of Talos that she remembered that life was fleeting and Grelod really had no right to torment the children. Eriah had returned to Whiterun and that was the end of it.

That is, until she woke up in the abandoned shack all the way in Haafingar Hold with the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, Astrid, and three other prisoners. Astrid explained that the Dragonborn had stolen the contract the Aretino boy had meant for them while telling her she had talent and that Grelod had it coming. She presented Eriah with a test concerning the other three prisoners. One of them had a contract out on them and it was up to the Dragonborn to kill whoever she thought was marked for death. She then gave back her warhammer. Eriah's anger festered. She had no intention of joining the Dark Brotherhood and attacked Astrid. The battle was quite arduous. The Dragonborn felt really off her game and figured that the only way she could've been spirited out of Whiterun all the way to some shack in the middle of nowhere was if she had been put under by some poison. It was in that fight that Eriah sustained her injuries. Fortunately, Talos smiled on her and gave her victory. Eriah slew Astrid and she freed the others. After that, she fished the key from Astrid's body and escaped the shack. That's when she saw Solitude in the distance. She started jogging through the swamp, hoping for some help.

That brought her up to speed. Eriah managed to reach the main road leading to Solitude. Her injuries were paining her so much and she was so focused on getting to the city that she didn't notice an Imperial patrol coming her way. Eriah saw them and froze. She didn't have anything on her that revealed her association with the Stormcloaks but she hadn't forgotten Helgen. The patrol saw her and came a halt. "By the Eight." the leader said. Eriah gripped her warhammer in her left hand, cursing the fact that Astrid had dislocated her dominant arm. She couldn't wield the weapon with just one hand. Several legionnaires broke from the patrol to go help but she got into a defensive stance. "Don't get any closer." she snapped before a shot of pain brought her to one knee. "Wait...I know you." came a voice. She looked up to see a familiar face but she couldn't quite place him. "Sir, let me try." he said. "How?" his commander asked. "I met her once. Suffice to say I didn't think I'd see her again at the time." he responded. "Very well, Hadvar. I'll leave it to you." the captain said. _"Hadvar?_ " Eriah thought, scowling in pain. The Nord Legionnaire slowly came to kneel in front of her. "Never thought we'd meet again." he said. The Dragonborn studied his face and then flashed back to Helgen. There had been a Nord Legionnaire there that sympathized with her plight at the time. That's when she remembered. "You're the Legionnaire who took my name. The one from Helgen." she grunted. "Yes. What happened to you?" Hadvar asked.

Eriah flinched as he brushed his fingers along her dislocated arm, yelling in pain when he reached her shoulder. Breaking out into a sweat, she relinquished her hold on her weapon to grab at her arm and jerk away from him. One of Hadvar's fellow soldiers came closer with the torch he had and they saw the extent of her injuries. "Great Stendarr." the captain said. Hadvar stood up and faced him. "Permission to take this woman to Castle Dour and see to her injuries, sir?" he asked. "Yes. Do so and see if you can't get her to tell you how she came by such injuries." he said. "Yes, sir." Hadvar said. He picked up Eriah's warhammer and hooked it to his back. "Nice and easy now." he said, gently taking by her left arm. As much as Eriah didn't want him touching her, she didn't have much of a choice. She couldn't go on much longer on her own and as long as these Imperials didn't know she was with the Stormcloaks, they wouldn't have an excuse to finish what Alduin had interrupted back then. Harvar wrapped her left arm around his neck and pulled her to her feet, his arm going around her waist.

"What's your name?" Hadvar asked once they were out of earshot of the patrol. "You don't remember?" Eriah asked through her pain. "I had thought you died in Helgen. I punished myself everyday for losing track of you in the mayhem and for the longest time, I thought I had your innocent blood on my hands. Now that I've seen that you survived, I want to know your name." he said. Eriah cocked an eyebrow in spite of herself. But she recalled that Hadvar had been sympathetic for an Imperial lapdog. He was on the wrong side but he truly believed she didn't deserve the block. "It's Eriah Quintence." she said after a moment. "Beautiful name. I'm Hadvar of Riverwood. I don't know if you remember me." he said with a smile in his voice. "I never forget a face. You were the only one who thought I shouldn't have been executed. You're a man of honor." she said. "I apologize on behalf of the Imperial Legion. My former commander was a bit...overzealous since we had Ulfric Stormcloak in our custody." Hadvar said. Eriah's left hand clenched a bit and she was grateful he couldn't see the scowl on her face. Her loyalty to the Jarl of Windhelm was sealed tight with her service. "How did this happen, Eriah?" he then asked. "Worry about that later. I can barely concentrate for the pain." she snapped as her dislocated arm swung uselessly at her side. They reached the gates of Solitude. A guard saw them and came running to them. "Open the gate. This woman has been injured." Hadvar ordered. "Yes, sir." the guard said. He pulled the gate open and the two entered Solitude. Hadvar got her up to Castle Dour and into the building.

He stood by as Eriah's wounds were looked after by the mages. Her warhammer had been taken to get cleaned and polished, courtesy of her Legionnaire escort. When they had the worst of the lacerations healed and bandaged, attention was turned to her dislocated shoulder. "Hadvar, do you think you could help with this?" one of the healers said. Eriah's face was pale but Hadvar sat down on the bed beside her and looked at her. "Are you ready for this, Eriah?" he asked. Knowing that she had no choice if she ever wanted to wield her hammer again, Eriah slowly nodded. Hadvar gave her a kind smile before he took a length of cloth. "I need you to bite down on this so that when we set your shoulder, you won't bite your tongue." he explained. The Dragonborn sighed before opening her mouth. Hadvar tied it around her head and she bit down onto the section between her jaws. She was helped into a lying position on her stomach. The healer instructed the Legionnaire to hold her down. "Easy does it." Hadvar said in a low voice when Eriah's breathing started to pick up in anticipation. The healer took her right arm and with little warning, yanked it hard. Eriah screamed past the gag as her shoulder cracked back into place.

Tears streamed down her face as Hadvar got her into an upright position and her arm was bound tightly to her side, her forearm bent at the elbow across her chest. "You did wonderfully, Eriah." the Nord Legionnaire said, keeping her still as her arm was bound and untying the gag. Eriah let out choked sobs as the pain swept over her like the waves of the Sea of Ghosts hitting the shore near Windhelm. She leaned against Hadvar as a mage cast a numbing spell to quell the pain somewhat. When they were done, Hadvar helped the Dragonborn lie back on the bed. "I'll stay here and watch her." he told the mages who bowed and left them. Eriah's brown eyes were shut tight as she tried to get her emotions under control but her arm was in a lot of agony. Hadvar just rubbed her back calmly. The Dragonborn cried it out for a bit and not once did he did leave.

After a bit, she started to calm as the pain turned into a dull roar. She was sweating like crazy from the relocation and she slowly opened her eyes when she felt Hadvar wipe her brow. "Are you okay?" he asked. Sighing a little as she adjusted herself on the bed, the Dragonborn brushed her hair from her face. "Hurts like Oblivion." she said, quietly. "It will pass. Dislocation is preferable to a broken arm." Hadvar said. Eriah started to sit up but his hand on her shoulder kept her down. "Why would you help me?" she asked. "To make up for Helgen and because I want to show my people that the Empire still has Skyrim's best interests at heart." he replied. The young woman turned her face away from his. "The Dragonborn would disagree." she said. Hadvar cocked an eyebrow. "The Dragonborn really exists?" he asked. "Naturally. Why else would the Greybeards call for her? I'm sure you heard it just like everyone else in the province." Eriah said, keeping her gaze to the wall on the opposite side of the room. "So it's a woman. I wonder what's she's like." the Legionnaire mused. She didn't feel like revealing her identity as the Dragonborn to the young man. She didn't want the Legion finding out and imprisoning her here in Castle Dour. She knew that if they broadcast to the Stormcloaks that their trump card was in Legion custody, it could compromise all the progress Ulfric had made. Eriah refused to allow it.

"You said the Dragonborn would disagree. What do you know of her?" Hadvar then asked. "I met her a couple times in Whiterun where I live. She's a good woman and as you probably surmised from my previous statement, she threw her lot in with the Stormcloaks." Eriah replied, weaving her story as easily as if she wasn't what she was. "But why? The Empire was ruled by Dragonborn Emperors up until the Oblivion Crisis. Why would she throw her lot in with a bunch of rebels?" the Legionnaire pressed. "That was then, Hadvar. In these times, the Dragonborn has but one destiny and that is to overthrow Alduin. The Septim Dynasty ended with the Oblivion Crisis and never again will a Dragonborn ever sit on the throne. She joined the Stormcloaks because she believes the Aldmeri Dominion has no right dictating to us Nords how we can live and because she sees what you don't. The Empire is failing, Hadvar. The Great War forced them to cut Hammerfell off because the Redguards refused to go along with the treaty. It won't be long before Black Marsh, Morrowind, and High Rock join Skyrim in throwing the elves out and I'd wager that eventually, the Bosmer and the Khajiit will come to their senses as well. The Empire will fall one way or another unless we put the elves back in their place. They may be a long-lived people, the Altmer, but they are not our overlords. Otherwise...they're no different than Alduin and the Dragon Cult." Eriah said.

Hadvar looked at her and saw the hard-set of her jaw. "You sympathize with the Stormcloaks and the Dragonborn, don't you?" he asked, gently. She finally looked at him, her brown eyes flashing. "Why should I throw my lot in with an Empire that saw fit to execute me for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? No, Hadvar. I've seen the true face of the Empire in Helgen after living in Cyrodiil all my life in denial of how weak it's grown since the Great War. There's no future for the Empire here. Even if they manage to stop Ulfric Stormcloak in this war, that won't stop someone else from taking up his mantle. We're Nords. We are a proud, stubborn people. You're a Nord as well and yet you sided with an dying Empire." she replied. Hadvar broke from her gaze, looking down at his hands. "That is your right, Eriah. You're not wrong but the rebellion is short-sighted. If the Empire stands a chance at defeating the Aldmeri Dominion, we need Skyrim." he said.

The Dragonborn just sighed. "I tire of talking about this. I think your commander wanted you to find out about how I got into this mess." she said. That broke the tension that had settled over them. "Yes. I don't know why, however." Hadvar replied. "It's quite a tale and I'm pretty sure your commanders would be glad to know I killed the leader of the Dark Brotherhood." Eriah began. That got the Legionnaire's attention and he listened carefully as Eriah explained how she wound up in that mess. The Dragonborn left out how she was brought to the Brotherhood's attention in the first place but gave him enough information to satisfy his commander's curiosity. "This is great news! We must see Commander Maro of the Penitus Oculatus in Dragon Bridge. He's been after the Brotherhood for a long time." the Legionnaire said. Eriah took a deep breath as her arm throbbed. She felt she needed to finished what she started with Astrid and be the one to destroy the remnants of the assassins. Still, she could use some back up. A dislocated arm wouldn't take long to recover from.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Translation of the Dovahzul present can be found at the corresponding deviation at my dA page. I'd also like to thank my reviewer, RisingPhoenix65, for the awesome review and I feel really bad that one- and two-shots are really my best option if I ever want to get fanfics done anymore. I'd like to apologize for all the talking in this part and the fact I glossed over the fight with the Dark Brotherhood. Fight scenes aren't my forte at all._

Eriah and Hadvar were in the small town of Falkreath. The Dragonborn and the Legionnaire had just arrived there after a couple weeks' travel and sidetracking to Whiterun so Eriah could get her Blades armor. Her right arm felt much better after it had been dislocated and she had done some training exercises to rebuild her strength. It still twinged from time to time but she was able to fight again. She and Hadvar had reported Eriah's killing of Astrid, leader of the Dark Brotherhood, to Commander Maro who asked the Dragonborn if she could finish the job. He reported that the Penitus Oculatus finally found where the Brotherhood's Sanctuary was and what the pass phrase was. Eriah accepted without question and Hadvar had insisted on coming along. He still didn't know she was Dragonborn nor that she was with the Stormcloaks. She hadn't wanted him getting involved in something she had unwittingly started but the Nord Legionnaire was adamant, pointing out that her injury meant she needed help. Eriah gave in since he had a point.

As the two headed into the woods to look for the Sanctuary, her thoughts on her companion were relentless. Hadvar had a good soul but she felt bad that she constantly rebuffed his attempts to have her join the Legion. Eriah had no love for the Empire but Hadvar was different. He was an Imperial soldier who seemed to understand where she was coming from, despite not knowing she was the Dragonborn. She felt...safe with him, which showed whenever she'd catch herself singing The Age of Oppression unknowingly while they traveled together. He simply pretended he had heard nothing. Hadvar had asked her why she sympathized with the Stormcloaks but she dodged the question, trying to keep things simplistic and to avoid implicating herself. She gave a vague answer along the lines that every person decides their own fate and who they worshiped. While she felt safe in proclaiming her faith in Talos and feeling sympathetic to the Dragonborn and the Stormcloaks, Eriah didn't trust him. She kept him at a companionable distance but didn't let him get any closer. She kept her past to herself and spoke only of the various things she had done since escaping Helgen that didn't involve the Stormcloaks or her greater destiny.

She did plenty of digging of her own and Hadvar was forthcoming. She learned that he and Ralof did go way back but that their childhood friendship had grown strained as they entered their teen years, finally breaking when Ulfric killed High King Torygg. Hadvar truly saw the Stormcloaks as traitors but he was as far as ruthless as one could get in regards to the war. He joined the Legion for the simple fact that he wanted to protect his kinsmen and because he believed Skyrim wouldn't last against the Thalmor alone. He was of the same opinion that a second Great War with the Aldmeri Dominion was coming. He felt that only a united Empire could overthrow the Dominion. Eriah bit back a response, feeling it was kinder to let him believe that. She thought otherwise. If the Empire truly had the power to overthrow their overlords, they wouldn't have sat on their laurels for the past thirty years. This was why Eriah chose to remain incognito as Dragonborn while in Hadvar's company. She could be captured and made to serve the Empire to put down the Stormcloak rebellion and then against the Thalmor when the Empire felt they were ready to take them on. Her stubbornness wouldn't allow that. If she was to be made an instrument of war against the High Elves, it would be on her terms. Ulfric knew that. General Tullius and the Legion did not nor would they give her any freedom. The only reason she was going along with the Penitus Oculatus's plan to destroy the Dark Brotherhood was because they had a common enemy in the assassins. Eriah didn't want any contracts on Ulfric's head making their way into Brotherhood hands.

"We're here." Hadvar said, coming to a halt. Eriah looked around him to see a metal door with a skull and black handprint on it set into a rocky ledge. "Right where Commander Maro said it would be." she said, pulling her Elvish warhammer from her back. She approached the door but paused before turning back to her companion. "Stay out here, Hadvar. I'll handle this myself." she said. "No way, Eriah. I can't let you face them alone." he refused. "Listen, if there's a chance they're not all present here, there's a chance any that are away on contract will return while we're dealing with their comrades. I need you out here to kill any assassins that return so we don't get trapped down there. I'm more than a match for any inside. Please, Hadvar, do this for me." she said. The young man looked torn and when he didn't reply, she smiled gently at him before setting a hand on his shoulder. "You've done enough for me already, Hadvar. You looked after me when I was wounded and you came along on this venture to make sure I was kept safe while I healed. You also protected me for a time in Helgen when the dragon attacked. Let me take it from here." she said. "Very well. Be safe." he said.

Eriah gave his shoulder a squeeze before he headed up the short path to watch for anyone coming their way. The Dragonborn herself approached the door. She nearly jumped when it spoke. "What is the music of life?" it asked in a raspy voice almost in a whisper. "Silence, my brother." she replied. "Welcome home." the door said before allowing her passage. Eriah entered and as the door shut behind her, she looked back to see Hadvar watching her. As she slowly descended into the Sanctuary, she had to wonder if that had been Sithis's voice she had heard from the door. Sithis was a deity said to have been born of Padomay's soul. He was neither Aedra nor Daedra. Eriah wasn't as well versed in elder gods as she was in the Divines but she knew enough about Sithis to know he was worshiped by the Dark Brotherhood because he was associated with the void and misanthropy.

Her thoughts were cut off when she came face to face with the members of the Dark Brotherhood. "Who are you?" asked a Redguard assassin, pulling his weapon out. "Your doom." was all Eriah said before attacking. Other members of the Brotherhood joined in on the fight but Eriah cut through them. They fell back as she continued her fight, getting into a tight spot when the Dunmer assassin appeared with a small Frostbite Spider. Eriah fended them both off and received a shock when she came face to face with Arnbjorn who revealed himself to be a werewolf by transforming. She was knocked off her feet and her warhammer flew from her hand. Scrambling back against a wall, Eriah growled. "YOL!" she Shouted. The monster howled in pain before dropping to the ground. Eriah scrambled to her warhammer and slammed it down on his head as he came at her. She then felled the Dunmer and her pet Frostbite Spider before the Sanctuary became quiet once more. Heaving, the Dragonborn noticed the Word Wall nearby and approached it, her soul reacting to a Word inscribed on it. Closing her eyes, Eriah took the Word into herself. "Krii." she mused. She knew it was "kill" in Dovahzul and filed it away to ask Paarthurnax about later.

"Eriah...you're the Dragonborn?" came the surprised voice of Hadvar. Eriah whirled on her heel, raising her warhammer. The Legionnaire was staring at her and was subconsciously drawing his sword. "WULD!" she Shouted. Hadvar immediately found himself thrown back against the wall nearest him, the head of her warhammer pinning him there. The Dragonborn heaved a bit as her throat cooled down from the Shout. "So now you know about me." she said, keeping her warhammer against his chest. The Legionnaire just looked at her, smarting a little in the head when he banged it against the wall. "I don't know whether to be in awe of you, execute you here for being aligned with the Stormcloaks, or capture you for General Tullius, Eriah. Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. "You just answered your own question, dii fahdon. (1) If you knew who I was...what I am...then you would turn on me and I don't want you as an enemy. The Legion would find me a worthy prize so it's not death I fear. It's being controlled." she explained. "So you threw your lot in with the rebels and you never considered that perhaps the rebels are using you the way you would accuse the Legion of if I were to bring you in? By the Eight." Hadvar growled. Eriah pushed the head of her hammer into his chest a bit harder.

"Nine, Hadvar. There are Nine. The elves can deny Talos's divinity all they wish but that doesn't change the fact he ascended. When the Eight speak, they speak as if they were Nine. My courage and will to fight are his blessing to me. He and I are kin through our shared birthright as Dragonborn. My reasons for aligning with the Stormcloaks remain true. I'm a Nord who values freedom. You don't know Ulfric like I do. He wants what's best for Skyrim and the Empire is at fault for both signing that damn treaty thirty years ago and betraying him during the Markarth Incident ten years later. The Empire _caved_ to the Dominion, Hadvar. You Imperial lapdogs believe that he turned his back on the Empire Talos started. Sorry, but the Empire betrayed Tiber Septim with the White-Gold Concordat because they had grown weak since the Oblivion Crisis. I curse Mehrunes Dagon for causing that catastrophe and I curse Alduin for putting the idea in his damn head in the first place. They helped start this whole thing but if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here now, fulfilling my own prophecy. This rebellion is precisely what Tiber Septim would've wanted. He would not want the elves of Summerset Isle to have their way in the affairs of men." she explained.

She let her warhammer drop to her side as she stepped back. "I don't want to be your enemy, Hadvar. You were sympathetic to me in Helgen. You saw what your former commander did not, an innocent woman slated to die for no crime other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You called me kinsman and that shows you have honor in regards to your own people. But I refuse to play puppet to the Empire and I refuse to betray my comrades or my Jarl." she said, letting her eyes drop to the side. Hadvar sensed something else in her words. "You joined their side for love, didn't you? You love..." he said before he was cut off. "Don't say his name. As long as you fight for that side, you have no right to speak it. Don't presume anything. Any other reasons I have that I didn't talk about before are my own. You know what I am and who I fight for. So we have a more pressing problem." Eriah said.

Hadvar took a step closer. "Yes. Yes, we do. What are we going to do about that?" he asked. "I'd rather remember you as the kind Legionnaire who helped me not once, but twice now rather than the Legionnaire who would sell me out to an Empire who has no business wanting my Voice. Don't ask me to betray what I feel is right." she said, quietly. "I can't just let you walk away, Eriah. If you claim the Aldmeri Dominion is your real enemy, help us fight them." the man said. The Dragonborn brought her brown eyes up to meet his. "As long as the Empire disallows the free worship of Talos to please their Thalmor masters, I will not raise my hammer in their service. General Tullius would see me locked up while he speaks to the Emperor behind closed doors and then has me molded into a weapon for them to use against the Stormcloaks. Yes, Hadvar. I would be used against my comrades first and when the rebellion is put down, then I'll be used against the Thalmor." she said. "You don't know that. Besides, with your power, you would not be so easily controlled." the Legionnaire argued, taking another step.

"That's where you're wrong. Talos gave me a warrior's heart but it's the compassion that Mara gave me that keeps me from harming the innocent. I've used my Voice to protect myself in battle and from those who attack first. If I were captured, my Voice would not be heard. The Legion would only need to threaten someone I care about to make me behave. This is why I work so hard to avoid getting into situations where others would have the upper hand on me." she said, her back hitting the Word Wall as Hadvar took another step closer. She locked eyes with him again. "The Legion would see the Dragonborn honored, Eriah, if you worked with us. You would not be a puppet." he said. She gave a short laugh in disbelief. "The Thalmor would be the ones holding my leash and they would see me forced to take Ulfric's head myself before executing me but that's not the issue here. Alduin is still out there. I'm asking you to let me walk out of here, Hadvar, because Alduin is my first priority even over my service to the Stormcloaks. If you capture me here in the name of the Empire, you will doom us all." she said.

Hadvar was uncomfortably close but Eriah stood her ground with the Word Wall at her back. "If I let you walk out here, the Legion will continue to hunt you. Whether as Dragonborn or Stormcloak, it won't matter. You will never be free. I admit that perhaps you're worth more alive as the Dragonbron than you are dead as a Stormcloak rebel. You won't find freedom with the Stormcloaks, Eriah. Deny it all you wish but you're their puppet. I'm asking you to come with me so I can protect you from my comrades and to ensure your freedom." he said, reaching out to touch her face. Eriah blocked his hand by bringing her warhammer up between it and herself. "If I am a puppet to the Stormcloaks, then my soul is at ease knowing it was the path I chose for myself. I'm a dragon in spirit. Being dominated will always put me at odds with those who seek to control me without my consent. I don't need protection from the Empire, Hadvar. I've been fighting them ever since I swore my service. As noble as your intentions are, you cannot protect me from the Thalmor. I know they will be looking for me but they will find the Dragonborn is a cut above any Nord they've faced and killed already. They will know Skyrim has her Dragonborn and she will use her Voice to secure freedom." she said.

Hadvar felt something deep down stir in his own soul as he beheld her eyes. They were normal human eyes but he could see in them the fires of the dragons. "I'm a child of Akatosh. I possess a spirit of independence and a will to see that justice is served. I see that same spirit in Ulfric and that is why I fight. I fight for the Empire that once was. I fight for the day when Skyrim will force the Aldmeri Dominion to its knees. I fight to see that Alduin is laid low so that this world endures. I fight...because I believe in Ulfric Stormcloak. You may think we don't stand a chance against the Thalmor alone but once they see that the Last Dragonborn has brought the World-Eater down, it will shake Tamriel to its roots and cause an even greater revolution. Skyrim won't be alone when that day comes." she said. Her conviction was inspiring but Hadvar was just as set in his ways as she was in hers. "And if you should die in the final battle with Alduin?" he asked. "Then I die. I've been living on borrowed time ever since Alduin appeared before us all in Helgen. I've come to accept that. Only Akatosh can decide my fate. Not the Stormcloaks. Not the Thalmor. Not the Empire. Not even you." Eriah replied.

The Legionnaire took a couple steps back, hanging his head. "The Dragonborn of Prophecy has been a figure I've looked up to ever since I was a lad. I became a soldier in hopes of embodying the very essence of the Dragonborn, the pinnacle to which all Nords should aspire. I...have to say I'm disappointed that you're not what I'd thought you'd be." he said. Eriah let a sad smile cross her lips. "I am sorry about that, Hadvar. But you should've known better. My coming was foretold, yes, but you put the idea of what the Last Dragonborn would be like on a pedestal and didn't even consider the fact that they...that I would choose a path other than what you expected." she said. Hadvar looked up at her, before sighing and running his hand through his hair. "You can walk away free, Eriah. We came here as comrades with the common goal of destroying the Dark Brotherhood and we've done that. However, if we meet again, it will be on the field on battle. I can't guarantee I'll hold back if we cross blades but it would be an honor to be sent to Sovngarde if it's by your hand, Dragonborn." he said.

Eriah finally hooked her warhammer to her back and she closed the distance. "Thank you for helping me all this time, Hadvar. If we should meet in battle, only the gods will know how it will turn out. I personally don't want to be the one who ends you. I want you to live long. You stand for what you believe in just as I do. Others can benefit from your experiences. Do me a favor. Keep my identity as the Dragonborn to yourself. I make it a point to fly under the radar. Makes my life simpler. Please." she said. Hadvar just studied her, memorizing her every feature. "I will keep your secret. I respect you enough to keep it to myself for now." he replied. Eriah smiled and led the way out of the Sanctuary. Outside, they walked to the main road and paused there for a moment before looking at each other. "For what it's worth, it was an honor to fight alongside you. If we should live to see the end of the war, I would like to see you again...as a friend." Hadvar said. Eriah set her hand on his shoulder. "I would like that, too. I may be a Stormcloak and you may be with the Legion but if you ever need my help, I'm always willing to give it. However, know that I cross the line at any request that would compromise the Stormcloaks in any way. Any other request is fair game. Agreed?" she asked, holding out her hand. "Agreed." Hadvar said, taking hold of her wrist and she responded in kind.

"So, are you returning to Whiterun or are you heading straight to Windhelm?" the Legionnaire asked. "I make for Windhelm. Before Astrid took me in the night, I had received a summons. It may or may not be about my next campaign in the war. I never know until I get there. If you're returning to Solitude, safe travels." she replied. She turned away and started walking away. "Eriah?" came her name. Looking over her shoulder, the Dragonborn watched as Hadvar bowed his head respectively. "May Talos guide you." he said. "And Akatosh preserve you, as well." she said in kind. The two then parted ways. Eriah's face settled into a stony visage. _"I can entrust my secret to Hadvar. He's proven himself by letting me walk free despite our opposition in the war. I'll repay him for this someday. I'm willing to defy Ulfric if it ever came down to me choosing to spare Hadvar if we meet in battle someday. But come what may, it shall be the will of Akatosh."_ she thought, pausing to look up at the sky through the trees. She heard a distinctive roar in the distance and knew it was Alduin himself. Her fists clenched as she thought about their impending final battle.

 _"Prepare yourself, World-Eater. The prophecy that binds you and I foretells your defeat at my hands. I will bring you down and the world will never again know the terror of Alduin."_ she thought before continuing on her way. Alduin was leagues away from her position. She was not likely to cross paths with him on her journey back to Windhelm. She and Ralof had encountered him once in the burned-out ruins of Helgen some time ago and she had come across him twice since then, both times to see him raise a dragon from his grave. Alduin never fought her either of those times. He just mocked her as he usually did and flew off, leaving his ally to face her. Eriah would triumph in those battles and each time, she'd think that her foes were better off staying in their graves. Her soul housed many dragons souls now and she felt herself getting stronger and her Voice more powerful. Eriah felt more confident in her belief that she was destined to win the final battle. She had Talos behind her, Mara watching out for her, and Akatosh guiding her. She balanced out her belief she would succeed with the possibility she could lose. She still only mortal and could potentially lose. All she could really do was trust in the will of Akatosh and he'd see her through.


End file.
